A husband and his wife decide to go on a weight loss journey. They change their eating habits, include some form of exercise into their daily routines and are generally motivated. They are all very ‘religious’ to their new lifestyle and even practice calorie counting, only to step on the scale and get varying results.
A man will generally lose more weight as compared to women and this can be frustrating. However, this is due to some psychological and genetic factors.
On that note, below are some for the reasons why weight loss for women is more challenging.
Women Have Less Lean Body Mass
What this means is that women have less muscle as compared to men. Muscles help in burning calories and this gives men a greater basal metabolic rate. So, even while at rest or without exercise, the body of a man will automatically burn more calories which lead to weight loss.
Women have Less Testosterone Levels
Testosterone levels are responsible for building muscles. Men have up to 8 times the amount of testosterone levels women have. This provides an advantage when it comes to burning calories.
So, as if having more muscles is not enough, men also gain muscles faster which is effective at increasing their metabolism rate that aids in faster weight loss.
Fluctuating Hormones
Women have regular hormonal fluctuations which can make numbers on the scale increase or remain constant. This can be very frustrating if you are on a strict diet and doing daily exercises.
These fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone levels can lead to unwanted water retention and cause no significant changes in weight loss. However, it is good for women losing weight to note that even if the scale does not move, they are still losing fat; that is as long as they are sticking to healthy eating.
Women Store Fats Differently
This is a matter of Genetics. A woman’s body is designed to store fat in different places in the body like the hips and butt. It is also designed to hold on tightly to these fats to cater for periods like during pregnancy. This makes it harder to lose weight.
Women Burn Fat Differently
It is quite normal for women to lose weight from the upper body first before the lower body. However, this changes during pregnancy and lactation. During such times, the body will readily let go of lower body fats.
Difference in Food Preference
Apparently, women will naturally crave foods that are high in sugar and starch as well as foods that have high-fat content.
A recent study showed that at the sight or smell of junk foods like chips, buns or pizza, women would be inclined to eat even if they were not hungry. In the case of men, this does not apply. So, this alone poses a huge dietary challenge for women who want to lose weight.
Workout Habits
A majority of women prefer cardio as compared to strength training. Bearing in mind that strength training is a very good fat burner, this kind of preference is what will make weight loss harder for women.
In this case, women should incorporate more strength training into their routines to allow for more fat burning.